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Thursday, 15 September 2011

Lamb Chop Shepherds Pie

I'm a big enthusiast for cooking economically and being environmentally aware. One of the best ways to combine both is to shop at the 'reduced section' in supermarkets. Usually, I'll buy food stuffs that can be frozen. On my last trip it was sausages, houmous and, my mum's favourite, lamb chops. Normally, I'd just grill lamb chops but, as fortune would have it, there was a recipe for lamb chop shepherd's pie in the October issue of Delicious. Perfect.

Also involving my mum this week, we went to Liverpool for a bit of a shopping spree. Among other things, I was keen to get some new kitchen equipment. I'd had some accidents over the past few weeks, a broken frying pan and a smashed Pyrex ceramic dish. I didn't manage to replace the dish, but I got a great new frying pan. I also got, by far the best thing I've ever bought for the kitchen, four mini-casserole dishes. Le Creuset dishes. All different colours. The best thing.

Lamb Chop Shepherd's Pie

Adapted from Delicous October 2011 Issue

Serves 4

8 lamb chops

150g unsalted butter, cubed

1 carrot, finely diced

1 celery stick, finely diced

1 onion, finely diced

1/2 tsp dried sage

1/2 tsp dried rosemary

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

300ml chicken stock

500g floury potatoes (such as Maris Piper or King Edward), peeled and cut into chunks

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven Gas 1 (140°C/275°F)

Melt 25g butter in an ovenproof frying pan over a medium-high heat. Fry the lamb chops on both sides until they are browned, in batches if necessary. Remove from the pan and set aside.

In the same pan, add the carrot, celery, onion, sage and rosemary and lower the heat to medium-low. Cook for 5 minutes.

Add the Worcestershire sauce and stock and bring to a simmer. Cover the pan, with a lid or tin foil, and place in the oven for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, make the mash potatoes. Place the potatoes into a pan of salted water. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes, until soft. Drain, return to the pan with the remaining 125g butter and mash them. Season then set aside until needed.

After 1 hour, remove the chops from the oven and divide them and the cooking liquor between four mini-casserole dishes. Top each with the mash potatoes. Place them in the oven and increase the temperature to Gas 3 (170°C/325°F). Bake for 45 minutes then serve.